


The Thoughtfulness of Hannibal Lecter

by Desired_Misery



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Lung Cancer, No Cannibalism, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, goes away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-17 11:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desired_Misery/pseuds/Desired_Misery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack doesn't have time for her anymore; Bella understand that. She knows Jack's too busy trying to catch his monsters to worry about the one killing his wife instead. Hannibal provides support and care that fills the hole Bella never knew she had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Thoughtfulness of Hannibal Lecter

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on ussecretlittleartists.tumblr as a gift for houseofhannibal.tumblr 
> 
> Just a fun little drabble.

It never started out the way she anticipated it. Looking back, she didn’t know quite how she got here, but Bella had nothing to complain about. Bella didn’t mean to turn to Hannibal when her internal emotions fractured like brittle glass in that doctor’s office. It was amazing how such a little, unassuming office would be the place where she was told the worst news of her life. Bella remembered laughing, a sharp, bitter sound that had escaped her lips before she could squash it. The irony of the situation never ceased to amuse her sense of humor. 

Hannibal, his quiet but not empty presence had provided the support that Jack couldn’t. The man who swore to be by her side in sickness and health was too obsessed with his serial killers to notice her own killer slaying his wife. Maybe that’s how Bella found herself on Hannibal’s doorstep one night, taking up his offer on dinner. Although she passed on the meal [Bella didn’t have the stomach for eating anything at the time], Hannibal had provided delicious hot chocolate that both of them enjoyed in front of the soothing crackle of fire in the granite fireplace. It was quiet, but the silence was warm and seemed filled even without conversation.  
Bella didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the next morning found her tucked into Hannibal’s bed, a warm comforter wrapped around her. After a thought, Bella vaguely remembered Hannibal helping her out of her shoes and into some plaid pajama pants and a large white shirt of Hannibal’s. She had woken up for an intangible reason and padded into the well stocked, stainless steel kitchen some cooks would dream of possessing. Hannibal smiled a greeting that crinkled around his eyes before turning back to the french toast he was making. He pressed a mug of coffee into her hands before she sat down at the table. [A blanket and a humanoid indent on the couch proved that the psychiatrist had relocated himself for the night. Both of them enjoyed breakfast before Hannibal had to arrive at his practice. Bella took the key he left on the table, but neither of them mentioned it.]

It was remorse, Bella felt, when she lied to Jack about the stage of her cancer. But he didn’t have the time to deal with his [potentially] dying wife and his work, and Bella knew work was everything to Jack. So, she took her leave of him, and the married couple slipped out of marriage in the most graceful way possible in such a situation. 

.:’:. 

Bella didn’t know how Hannibal was going to react to chemotherapy. Both of them had slipped into a relationship without complaint. But not much conversation happened between the two of them, and not about her lung cancer. So Bella kept her pride intact and did not whisper a word about her first chemotherapy session to Hannibal.  
One morning Phyllis [she insisted Hannibal called her by her name. Bella was Jack’s nickname for her, and Jack was out of the picture] felt tears well up in her eyes when she realized chemotherapy was causing hair to fall out. Hannibal, always so quiet despite his muscular frame, had stepped into the bathroom and kissed the tears from her cheeks. The two of them left for a hair salon, where Hannibal squeezed her hand when Phyllis cut all her hair off. She kept rubbing a self-conscious hand over her head as Hannibal payed for the haircut. He pulled out a large box wrapped in gold and black paper with a thick, white bow tied with a flourish. Phyllis cried when she opened it. Hannibal had bought scarves for her, beautiful cotton, chiffon, silk, and embroidered scarves of all sophisticated colors and designs. She knew, then, that Hannibal would stand by her through this. It was her fight, but Hannibal would cover her back. He swore it to her that night in bed, strong arms tucking her against his chest. They would fight together.

.:’:. 

Winter in Montana is nothing to shake a stick at. Phyllis had expressed her wish to live up north once, and Hannibal had surprised her with a house he had built on a large plot of land in Montana. The two of them moved there as soon as the doctors confirmed her lung cancer had disappeared. Hannibal, with his sensual and sophisticated taste in interior decorating, had already provided for everything they could need. No carpet had been used, for the dust would aggravate her weak lungs. Hannibal had made sure all the doors and windows were well sealed so no dirt could induce a coughing fit, either. Thoughtful as always, Hannibal had made sure the house sprawled only on one story to eliminate stairs and had provided humidifiers through the house. 

The low hum of the humidifier was just another aspect that had changed in Phyllis's life, but now she couldn’t sleep without the machine. Winter in Montana was much, much colder than any winter in Virginia. [Hannibal had laughed quietly when Phyllis had first piled the blankets onto the mattress, but he helped her make their bed.] Phyllis snuggles closer into Hannibal, enjoying his frankly amazing ability to attain so much body heat [ a skill she cursed in the summer.] Hannibal tucks the warm, microfiber blankets around her, careful not to disturb her. He falls back asleep, checking the clock on the nightstand. 

Hannibal wakes up again, his internal clock rising him from his various dreams. Carefully, so carefully does Hannibal disentangle himself from Phyllis, whom had seeked out his warmth like a beacon. He pads to the kitchen, bare feet following the path of rugs to the kitchen. Water flows from the tap and Hannibal checks the temperature with his fingers. A turn of the faucet and a few minutes provides him with a large cup of warm water. Phyllis occupies his side of the bed now, burrowing into the heat left on the blankets. Hannibal smiles as he fills up the humidifier with the warm water. 

“Hannibal, why are you up?” 

Phyllis had noticed his absence after all. She blinks at him with sleep bleary eyes, sitting up as she wraps the covers around her. Hannibal places the cup next to the machine, now happily humming again. He crawls back into bed and Phyllis snuggles against him, her head tucked under his chin. 

“I refilled the humidifier. Go back to sleep,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Phyllis shifts around until Hannibal lays on his back and she on her side, an arm thrown over his waist. She solves the issue of her cold nose by pressing her face into Hannibal’s chest. 

“Did I forget to put in more water before we went to bed?” She asks, voice muffled and tone apologetic. And Phyllis moves again before pulling her legs back. 

“Your feet are cold,” she accuses. Hannibal chuckles and kisses her forehead.

“I know. The humidifier always runs out of water in the middle of the night.”

Then Phyllis tilts her head and looks into Hannibal’s half-closed eyes. 

“You are very thoughtful,” she praises, realizing Hannibal must wake up every night. He hums, a low rumble in his chest. Both of them fall quiet, and Hannibal almost falls asleep before he hears Phyllis murmur close to his ear. 

“I love you.”

.:’:.

And it was love when Hannibal tailored his lifestyle to fit her’s. Phyllis appreciated the meals Hannibal so carefully cooked, keeping away from smoke and any item toasted in order to avoid any coughing fits. Love was when Hannibal brought Phyllis into the bathroom, steam from the scalding water in the shower soothing the harsh coughs that wracked her body. Love crumbled with Jack, but flourished with Hannibal and his gentle, vigilant attention. Phyllis thought of everything that brought her up to this point before she decided it was pointless and enjoyed her relaxing lifestyle with the man who loved her.

**Author's Note:**

> I am open to exploration of other relationships in Hannibal, so just send a note if you think of any ship or situation.


End file.
